Automatic display apparatus



Feb. 12 1924.

Filed Fb. -19. 19:25

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 12 1924.

H. J. BALDWIN AUTOMATIC DISPLAY APPARATUS 2 Sheets-She et 2 Filed Feb. 19. 1925 @WW .4 TTORAY Patented Feb. 12, 19245..

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HARRY J. BALDWIN, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIGDISPLAY APPARATUS.

Application filed. February 19, 1923 Serial No. 619,925.

1 0 all whom it may concern: Be it knownthat I, HARRY J. BALD-WIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at 949 North Walnut Street, in the city of Colorado Springs, in the county of El Pasoi'and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Automatic Display Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic display apparatus in which display cards showing pictures and news and articles, are caused to be conspicuously displayed periodically and removed from view to be automatically replaced by others in turn; and some-of the objects of my invention are to show a moving advertising series of printed cards; second, to show said cards having news items displayed; third, to have a series of moving cards or frames carrying articles of merchandise; fourth, to provide means by which said displays can be varied or changed without stopping the continuous automatic motion of the apparatus. I

I attain said objects, andothers, by means of the mechanism and apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of my apparatus with a portion of the outer casing broken away to disclose the mechanism within; Fig. 2, is atop plan view with a portion of the case cover broken away to disclose the interior mechanism; Fig.3, is an elevation of the display end of the apparatus illustrating the interior display through the glass front; Fig. 1, is a perspective view of a section of the conveyor belt 9 together with one of the card-holding elements 13 complete; Fig. 5, is anenlarged elevation of a seotionof the conveyor belt 9, the upper idle roller 4: and four card-holders. I

In the rectangular case 1, having the removable top 2 and the glass panels for the front 3, is the conveyor belt 9, electrically actuated by means of the motor M, driving the worm gear-17 driving the pinion 18 and the shaft 19, driving the worm gear 20, meshing with theiteeth on the gear wheel 7 which is rigidly secured to the same shaft with the drum 6 and turns with it, and thus drives the conveyor belt 9 which drives the two idle rollers 4 and 5. The journals for the drum 6 are indicated by the numeral 10 and for the two idle rollers 4 and 5 by the numeral 8. 'This completes the actuating means.

011 the outer surface of the conveyor belt 9, which moves very slowly, are secured a great number of cylindrically shaped cross slats l3, equidistant from each other, and radially secured to said slats are an equal number of card holders 12 formed of sheet metal having terminal lugs 14 extending at right angles to the plane of their respective holders with holes through said lugs provided to receive the pivotpins 15 which are rigidly secured in the ends of the cross slats 13. This card holder member 12 has near its lon gitudinal center a restricted space between the two blades of the holder at 16, for the purpose of securely pinching a card forced therein or of two small cards forced in from opposite ends of the holder.

As the holder 12 with its respective card 11, rises over the drum 6, it is held against the conveyor belt 9, Fig. 1, so that when it reaches the top of the said drum it is held down against the belt 9, and its card 11 extends upwardly and is exposed to view as'it approaches the front end of the case 1, and as it passes over the upper idle roller 4, and has its card tipped forward, gravitation causes it to pivot on the pins 15, and drop into a pendant position exposing the oppo site side of the card 11 for a time until it is obscured by its following card dropping in front of it and obstructing the view. Thus we have at least two whole cards on display at any time, the front of one and the back of the other. a

It is purposed to use this apparatus indisplay windows and in public display places and it being removably mounted on a floor or fstand may be conveniently situated'in difierent parts of a building at different times. It being'automatic in" its operation it needs no care or attention except when desiring to remove a card and replace it with a card of late current news or to insert a new advertising card.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- 1. In an automatic display apparatus of the class described, having an enclosing case with a transparent front, the combination of an endless conveyor belt passing over an actuating revolving drum; and over two idle rollers at its opposite end from said drum; means for driving said drum from an electric motor; a multiplicity of slats rigidly secured transversely to the outer surface of said belt; pivot pins extending from the ends of said slats; and metal card-holders pivotally mounted upon said pivot pins; substantially for the purposes specified.

2. An automatic display apparatus, comprising a rectangular casing, a transparent front on said casing,'a broad transmission belt moving slowly toward said front, a large drum near the rear of said casing over which said belt is actuated, two idle rollers within the opposite end of said belt near said front, the lower one of said rollers being nearer said drum; an electric motor and two reducing worm drives for the operating element, a multiplicity of bars rigidly secured transversely to the line of motion of said belt on its outer surface, pivot pins extending from the ends of said bars, card-holders pivotally mounted on said pins so that they havefreedom of falling back of said bars as they rise over said drum and rest on said belt, an upwardly extending pair of blades in said holder forming a groove opening upwardly and extending transversely to and across said belt for the reception of display cards held within said groove, and displaycards held pinched within said grooves by means of the restriction of the diameter of said groove near its longitudinal center, substantially for the purposes specified.

3. An automatic display apparatus, for advertising purposes, provided to display cards descriptive of news items, goods fol sale, and pictures, comprising-a conveyor belt operated within a large casing contain ing a transparent front toward which said belt carries said cards extending upwardly from said belt, a multiplicity of card-holders pivotally mountedtransversely on said belt and made of sheets of metal folded so as to form a longitudinal groove on their upper edge for the reception of said cards and having a restricted portion in said groove provided to pinch said cards so as to holdthem insaid groove, two idle rollers actuated by said belt and situate near said transparent front the upper of said rollers being advanced nearer said front than the lower one, so as to allow said cards to drop pendant 'uprightly after passing over said upper roller, a large drum near the rear of said casing over which said belt passes and which actuates said belt, a heel or fulcrum part on said holders between their pivotal oint and said groove which engages said elt as it passes upwardly over said drum causing said cards to stand outwardly at right angles to the plane of said belt and upwardly as it approaches said transparent front, and actuating means for said drum comprising an electric motor and two reducing worm driving gears, substantially for the purposes specified.

4:. An automatic display apparatus of the class described, comprising a casing, a transparent'front in said casing, a conveyor belt moving toward said front, a large drum within said belt and actuating it from the rear of said casing, idle'rollers near Said front over which said belt passes the upper of said rollers being forward of the lower one, a multiplicity of bars secured to the outer surface of said belt and transversely thereto, pivot pins extending from the ends of said bars, a multiplicity of card-holders formed of thin metal plates folded on themselves leaving a narrow groove between the folded edges for the reception of cards, formed lugs integral with said holders and bent transversely from their ends and pro vided with holes to receive said pivot pins upon which said holders are pivotally mounted, so that they will drop below and back of'said bars as they rise back of said drum and cause said cards secured within saidgro'oves to project horizontally while the'bars are rising and. project uprightly while the bars are advancing toward said front, said groove-having a restriction near its longitudmal center to pinch said cards to hold them in place, and motive means comprising an electric motor and two reducliIgdWOrm drive gears, for the purposes spec- HARRY J. BALDWIN Witnesses.

JOHN F. MULLANE'Y, C. H. Osmoor. 

